A new social housing development for Aboriginal Elders at risk of homelessness will be built in Adelaide, delivering a much-needed supply boost in Adelaide's south.
Aboriginal Elders Village, Purrkanaitya, will deliver 40 modern and culturally appropriate homes at 'Warriparinga', or Bedford Park near the Sturt River – with the village built and managed by Aboriginal people.
Kaurna for "for all Elders", Purrkanaitya is designed for Elders to live independently on country in affordable, safe and secure community housing.
Contracts for the $12.17 million project – located near the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre – have been signed today, with construction to start in August and residents expected to move in by the end of 2025.
The Malinauskas Government is contributing $4 million towards Purrkanaitya, assisted by the Federal Government ($3 million) and Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation ($5.17 million), which owns the land and is donating the 1.5-hectare site.
The village is a collaboration between not-for-profit housing provider Aboriginal Community Housing (ACHL), Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC), Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC), SA Housing Authority and Housing Australia.
Accessible and inclusive design features include stepless and bathroom grabrails to enable residents with mobility issues to 'age in place', along with communal areas and culturally significant outdoor firepits.
Tenants will be aged over 50 and include Elders at risk of homelessness and those already living in social housing who will move from their existing homes to Purrkanaitya. ACHL will manage the properties and tenancies.
Housing SA Homes vacated by tenants moving to the village will be offered to Aboriginal clients seeking public housing in the most urgent category, Category 1.
The village progresses the SA Housing Authority's Aboriginal Housing Strategy 2021-2031 and its aim to reduce homelessness amongst Aboriginal people, increase housing supply and create and support innovative housing solutions.
As put by Nat Cook
We are so pleased to work in collaboration with all our partners to create this wonderful community. Elders can live on country in secure and safe housing, on the Adelaide Plains where Kaurna people have gathered for thousands of years.
This new village at Warriparinga, a culturally significant place, will be home to so many and shows what can be achieved when governments work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal people and organisations.
As we move toward the election of South Australia's First Nations Voice, this new village is an example of the journey that our whole community is taking together.
As put by Julie Collins
These new homes underline the Albanese Labor Government's commitment to providing secure housing to more Australians.
We're proud to be working with partners on this important project for Aboriginal elders in South Australia.
This is exactly what the Albanese Labor Government will achieve through our new historic investments in housing including the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund and $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator.
Our ambitious housing reform agenda is working across the board – with more help for homebuyers, more help for renters and more help for South Australians needing a safe place for the night.
As put by Erin Thompson
This is a great way for Aboriginal Elders to receive support on country in community housing that suits their needs.
The village will be an important addition to our thriving community and builds on the culturally inclusive environment we pride ourselves on.
As put by SA Housing Authority Head of Aboriginal Housing Cheryl Axleby-Keeffe
Congratulations to the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, who have achieved their aspiration to create a safe and supportive independent Elder living environment called 'Purrkanaitya', Kaurna meaning 'for all Elders,' to live together on country.
This significant milestone proves how great outcomes can be achieved by working in a collaborative partnership approach with Aboriginal communities and through applying the principles of the SA Aboriginal Housing Strategy of, self-determination, place-based approach in decision making, co-design, inclusivity, and transparency.
As put by ACHL National Manager Stacey Broadbent
ACHL is proud to be a part of this innovative project to support a culturally appropriate 'ageing in place' opportunity for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It is wonderful to see that Aboriginal organisations are leading this project and working in partnership to deliver positive social outcomes for their own people.
We are so pleased that this project has received funding contribution from Federal and State governments as well as ILSC who have also generously donated the land on which the Village will be built.
As put by ILSC Group Chief Executive Officer Joe Morrison
The ILSC's investment in the purpose-built village for the Elders on Kaurna Country, through the purchase of the property, exemplifies our commitment to the people we serve, First Nations peoples.
We welcome today's additional funding boost to this project that is a genuine partnership between organisations with a mutual goal in mind – deliver a culturally appropriate housing solution for the Elders.
As put by KYAC Chair Tim Agius
Our Elders have needed a place like this for a long time, their needs can't be met at a typical aged-care facility, and this village starts to fill the gap.
KYAC is proud to be involved in the development that will include homes and shared spaces that are culturally appropriate and close to an important Dreaming story. Our Elders deserve nothing less.
